


Little Did You Know

by dezfontes



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, Angst, Bonding, Dreams, Episode: s09e18 Meta Fiction, First Time, Flashbacks, Fluff, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, Mild Smut, Possible Season 10 spoilers
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-01-18
Updated: 2017-02-14
Packaged: 2018-09-18 06:56:13
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 5
Words: 9,673
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9373142
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/dezfontes/pseuds/dezfontes
Summary: The illusion Castiel was put under brought up an interesting question: was there a chance Gabriel was still alive? A certain hunter was very eager to find out the answer....Begins with Meta-Fiction, will go through beginning of Season 10.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> Still not quite sure how my errant thoughts one day turned into an actual story. I am a diehard Sabriel fan, so of course Meta-Fiction spurred a million ideas.  
> That being said, this is my first fanfic ever! Please be gentle with your criticism, of course constructive criticism is just as helpful as positive feedback. I would love to hear what you think!

“Somebody wanna tell me what the hell is going on here?” Sam, Dean, and Cas were in the parking lot of the Canoe Lodge. All of them appeared to be reeling from the recent events.

“Metatron is trying to play God,” Cas said matter-of-factly.

“Play God?” Sam said with a huff. “He is God. He’s powering up with the angel tablet. How the hell we supposed to stop this guy?”

The wind whistled through the trees as the three men looked around, overwhelmed by the situation.

“How did he even get to you?” Sam asked curiously. He had recognized the symbols amidst the maps and pictures of Castiel’s research. “The room you were in was warded against Metatron’s army.”

“He lured me out,” Cas admitted sullenly, “using Gabriel.”

Both Winchesters startled at the mention of Gabriel.

“How the hell did he do that?” Dean asked viciously, his old hate towards the Trickster quickly showing itself. “He’s supposed to be dead. Long dead.”

Of course, both hunters knew it was still possible. It hadn’t, after all, been the first time the Trickster had faked his death.

“It was an illusion,” Cas explained. “Gabriel came through the television in my motel room. It wasn’t until later that I realized it was an illusion. By then, Metatron had me.”

“So, what, the dickbag is not only alive and kickin’, but he’s working for Metatron?”

Sam glanced nervously at Dean. His brother’s temper was already so close to the surface. He wasn’t sure what would happen if Dean lost control with just him and Cas here as targets. Cas eyes squinted as he quietly contemplated Dean’s question for a moment.

“I don’t think so. If Gabriel was truly working for Metatron, he wouldn’t have screwed up the illusion.”

“Screwed it up?” Sam inquired. He knew it was possible, of course. His mind flashed back to the last time he remembered the Trickster screwing up: when his sweet tooth gave him away in Broward County.

“He left a small detail so I would figure it out. If he’s alive, he’s not working for Metatron by choice.”

“You think he’s being held by Metatron?” Sam shuddered. They were just beginning to realize Metatron’s power. To think that he could actually trap an Archangel, trap Gabriel, struck fear into the hunter.

“I think if Gabriel hasn’t been able to break free yet, then Metatron is more powerful than we realized.”

\-----

Luckily, the angel and hunter with him were too preoccupied to notice the torrent of thought and emotion that had flooded Sam at the mention of Gabriel’s name. Now, as he gazed out the Impala’s window into the night, he tried to unravel the mess in his mind. His thoughts wandered back to what he considered the beginning.

The obsession with getting the Trickster to break the timeline, to return Dean to him, had caused some weird side effects. Effects in the form of dreams. At first, they had been dreams of Sam reaching his goal, of finding the Trickster, slamming him into a wall, and demanding he return Dean. However, as those six months wore on, the dreams began to shift in nature. Sure, when he found the Trickster, he would still shove him up against a wall. But in these new dreams, instead of threatening him or pleading with him, he kissed him. For weeks, every night, Sam would dream of finding the Trickster, seeing that trademark smirk.

_Sam grips the shorter man’s shoulders, making sure he can’t get away. The tall hunter leans down without warning, pressing his lips against the Trickster’s. His large hands move down to trap the other’s hips as he presses hard with his own body, biting sharply against his lips. The Trickster moves his hands into the hunter’s shaggy hair, pulling roughly as he opens his mouth for the hunter. Sam growls as he pushes him harder against the wall/table/car. He rolls his hips as the Trickster moves his hands to claw at Sam’s shoulder blades—_

“Sammy!” Dean’s bark snapped Sam out of the memory. He looked around to see they had pulled into a gas station. He turned to see his brother staring at him like he was an idiot. “I’m gonna go pay and hit the head. You just keep on stargazin’ or whatever the hell you were doing.”

“Sorry, I was thinking,” Sam shrugged.

“Whatever, bitch,” Dean muttered as he opened the driver’s door and stepped outside.

Sam shuddered slightly. It had been years since he’d thought of Gabriel in any way. The cool night leaked through Sam’s skin as he leaned his head against the window, hair slightly falling over his face. He swore softly. He thought he’d let go of that, of _him_.

Sam spent the rest of the ride trying to think of nothing. He knew he’d have to finish sorting out his feelings for Gabriel eventually, but all he wanted right now was sleep. In true Winchester fashion, he decided to ignore the problem until it came back and smacked him in the face. Since they hadn’t gotten really any sleep the night before, they drove until they were out of Metatron’s reach, then pulled into a motel. Dean looked worn, which made sense after all the anger and torturing he’d done in the last 24 hours. Sam frowned. His brother’s shortening fuse was just another thing that had him worried these days. Dean wasted no time, crashing onto his bed almost as soon as he entered the shabby motel room. Sam changed and brushed his teeth in silence, thoughts still running a thousand miles a minute inside his head. He laid down on the cheap, hard mattress. The starchy, stiff sheets were cold, causing him to shiver slightly before punching the pillow a few times and shutting his eyes. Despite the whirling emotions in his head, it didn’t take more than a couple minutes to drift off into sleep.

That night, Sam dreamt of honey brown eyes.

\----

Gabriel knew he was pushing his luck, watching the Winchesters like this. The moonlight shone softly through the motel window, but didn’t appear to touch the Archangel himself. Nobody would know he was here. Yet still, knowing Metatron was tracking the hunters’ whereabouts--- yeah, he really shouldn’t be here.

Gabriel sighed softly. He knew he couldn’t help it. Since the Fall, many angels were helpless. But many angels weren’t also pagan gods like Gabriel/the Trickster/Loki.

He was happy to finally find Sam again. The tall hunter’s presence had been shielded from Gabriel when Gadreel had possessed him. Gabriel clenched his fist. He wasn’t sure who he wanted to punch more, his brother for what he did with Sam’s skin, or Dean for allowing the trick in the first place. Mostly however he was still mad at himself, remembering how frantic he’d been when he couldn’t find Sam. Gabriel couldn’t pinpoint exactly when he fell for the giant hunter. Hell, he hadn’t even realized he’d fallen until he was sacrificing his life for the imbeciles back at Elysian Fields. When he was explaining to Lucifer why he was finally picking a side, why he loved the humans, that’s when it hit Gabriel like a ton of bricks. All the details he loved about humanity, well, it was only one human’s face that popped into his head. Oh well, too little too late.

Or so he’d thought. But of course, good ol’ Dad decides to intervene, resurrecting him and placing him a few years after the Apocalypse. Just in time to see Cassie unleash the Leviathans on the world. Boy, that had been a mess. Gabriel had been forced to run and hide again. He’d lost track of the Winchesters until Dean and Castiel had been blown into Purgatory alongside Dick.

Sam’s face scrunched up in pain snapped him out of his introspection. The younger hunter was tossing and turning a little on the too small motel bed. Gabriel reached out with his mind, peeking just a little into Sam’s mind to see what was plaguing him tonight. But just as he reached into Sam’s mind, the hunter relaxed, face smoothing out and lips turning up slightly at the corners. Gabriel didn’t question the rapid change in demeanor from the slumbering man.

Neither brother woke to the small snap that marked Gabriel’s exit.


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So this chapter helps set up a little more of the plot. It diverges slightly from canon, but the subsequent chapter will follow the basic plotline through to the end of Season 9.
> 
> Please feel free to leave feedback. Comments and kudos are fuel for writers!

“I just don’t understand how it happened,” Sam stated, still perplexed.

They had finished killing off the rest of the vampire family that had kidnapped Alex as a child. After making sure the girl and Sherriff Mills were safe, the Winchesters had gone back to burn the bodies of all the vamps. Sam truly hated this part of being a hunter. He had never gotten used to the acrid smell of burning flesh, he didn’t think he ever would. He hated having to stand there enduring the wretched smell and smoke for the two or three hours it took to make sure the bodies were completely disintegrated.

When they went to retrieve the vampire brothers’ bodies, however, they couldn’t find them. Instead, there were glass jars, one for each body, with plaid ribbon tied in a bow on each. Next to one of the jars was a plain sheet of paper with the words “You’re welcome” written on them.

“Maybe Metatron is trying to win our favor,” Dean grumbled as he began to empty the jars and spread the ashes, not wanting to leave anything strange behind in case anyone came looking. “I don’t really give a rat’s ass who did it, I’m just glad we can go back to hunting Abaddon now.”

Sam stopped himself from rolling his eyes at his older brother. After Dean finished dumping the last jar, he turned and walked back out to the car, muttering about needing a drink. Sam turned back to the room, glancing around with focused eyes, trying to spot whatever did them this favor. After a minute, he decided the person responsible wasn’t going to show. As he turned, his eyes caught the note, now lying on the floor. He picked it up and tucked it into his pocket before walking out without another glance.

\----------

The more Sam paid attention, the more he noticed the small things, good fortunes or gifts, that kept happening. They had stopped to pick up greasy, mass-produced burgers at a gas station. Sam crinkled his nose in disgust. He would kill for a nice green salad just once. Then, when he got back to the car, sitting on the dash was a plastic container with the exact salad he’d been thinking of in his mind. His head jerked up, searching for whoever left the treat for him. Sam knew who he hoped was doing these things. Ever since the conversation with Castiel, he couldn’t help but hope to see that trademark smirk, that swagger of confidence.

_Sam and Dean are hiding behind the table in the Elysian Fields conference room. On the other side of the room, Lucifer knocks Kali to the ground effortlessly._

_“Are you ok?” Sam whispers._

_“Not really.”_

_Both men look over to see Gabriel sitting next to them._

_“Better late than never, huh?”_

_Sam leaned up to glance at the Archangel. As Gabriel met his eyes, Sam gasped silently. Instead of the usual twinkle of humor, or the cold calculating wrath, Sam was shocked by the amount of emotion shown in those cognac eyes. After the briefest of seconds, the moment was over, and as Gabriel stood up to Lucifer, Sam felt his heart begin to break…_

Sam shook his head. He knew that even if the Archangel had somehow survived Lucifer, or been revived, he wouldn’t be following the Winchesters around. He certainly wouldn’t be helping them, leaving Sam gifts and kindnesses. No, if Gabriel was still alive, he would only want to see Sam to yell at him. Sam knew it was impossible for someone who knew his past, knew his mistakes, to love him. It’s why he never told Amelia any details of his life. He couldn’t handle seeing the rejection in her eyes. Just like he was sure he’d seen in Gabriel’s eyes so many times. He’d never really stopped being the boy with the demon blood.

\-----------

Gadreel walked steadily up to the playground. His eyes narrowed as he took in the short man swinging silently and gazing off into the distance. Gabriel did not acknowledge the other angel’s initial approach, instead snapping a lollipop into existence and continuing to swing.

“What have you done with them?” Gadreel questioned.

Gabriel cut a sideways glance to Gadreel.

“You mean the two goons Metatron had guarding this week’s spot for the portal? Don’t worry, they’re safe. I’ll return them to their miserable post with no memory of this. But first, you and I are gonna have a little chat.” Gabriel spat out the last few words, showing how much he did _not_ want to be speaking with Gadreel.

“That seems suitable,” Gadreel said with a slight nod. “What is it you wish to discuss?”

Gabriel did not speak, continuing to swing. The moment grew more tense as it dragged on, Gabriel acting oblivious to its effects.

“You’re an idiot,” the Archangel stated simply.

“At least I am not a coward who chooses to run instead of taking a side

“Better to abstain from the war than be on the wrong side,” Gabriel stopped swinging and casually snapped the lollipop away. He stood and turned towards Gadreel, who stiffened in apprehension.

“Why do you say it is the wrong side?” Gadreel asked skeptically. “Metatron is trying to build a better heaven. Those who have died, while tragic, have been necessary.”

“Come on, Gadreel. I know your mistake-prone self was stuck in prison since the Eden debacle,” Gabriel waved his hand dismissively. “I won’t judge you like those dickheads do, I know better than most how manipulative Luci could be. But I also won’t stand by and let you repeat your last bonehead decision.”

Gadreel started to speak, then stopped and silently contemplated Gabriel’s words. Other than Metatron, Gadreel had not come across another angel who viewed him with anything other than contempt. It was enough to convince him to honestly hear the Archangel out.

“He tortured me,” Gabriel stated calmly, crossing his arms. “He used that damned tablet to imprison me. He didn’t torture me for any reason except his own sick enjoyment. If I hadn’t been 100% sure I still had a purpose in this rubble of a universe…”

Gadreel squinted, still clearly skeptical of Gabriel’s words. The Archangel sighed dramatically, before leaning over and placing two fingers on Gadreel’s forehead, inputting a few of the worse memories into the angel’s mind. Gadreel’s eyes went wide before shutting as he processed the new information.

Gabriel leaned back against the swing set, portraying nothing but cool, calculating confidence on the outside. Inside though, he was becoming increasingly more nervous. He was taking a big risk coming out into the open like this. This plan was a stroke of genius on his part, and had the potential to pay off big if it worked. But if Metatron had any doubt of Gadreel’s allegiance, he might have the second-in-command followed. Gabriel hoped this wasn't the case. Either way, he needed to wrap this up and get the hell out of dodge before more angels came poking around. The former Trickster watched carefully as the gears started turning in Gadreel’s mind.

“You have a plan,” Gadreel stated, opening his eyes and staring expectantly at Gabriel.

“Yeah,” Gabriel said with a grin. “Here’s what you’re gonna do.”


	3. Chapter 3

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter is a little bit longer. The boys finally see each other in this one! I will try to update every Sunday, but I am juggling two fics at once right now, so it is really dependent on the muses whether or not I can stay on schedule.
> 
> As always, please leave your kudos/comments. Remember, kudos are love!

Sam was walking back towards the library when he saw a tall figure come through the other door. He yelled out as he rushed forward, anger surging through him as he spotted one of his least favorite angels. Dean and Cas both stood to face the intruder, all three men more than a little shocked that Gadreel had managed to get into the bunker undetected.

“I’m not here to fight,” Gadreel said placatingly. “I thought about what you said. Metatron-- something needs to be done.”

“And we should trust you why?” Sam’s eyes narrowed. He wanted nothing more than to end the angel that possessed him, but he knew they were quickly running out of allies and options.

“Because I can give him to you. I know where Metatron is. I know everything. I know about the bombers. I know how he trapped Gabriel, tortured him. I know I have made many mistakes, but Gabriel has insisted that if I wanted a chance at redemption, you were the ones I could trust.” Sam raised his eyes to see Gadreel staring intently at him. It was clear that although Gadreel referred to the three of them, that last sentence was meant for Sam and Sam alone.

Sam didn’t show anything on the outside, but his heart seemed to float with the light, airy feel of relief at the angel’s words. This was what he’d been waiting to hear. Not just speculation, or wishful thinking,

It was right at that moment that Dean lunged, First Blade appearing in his hand from somewhere. Dean looked wild, looked menacing, looked like he meant business. Sam and Cas both lunged towards the older hunter, whose bloodlust seemed to make him even stronger than usual. The First Blade cut cleanly into Gadreel’s chest, a surface wound that began to bleed grace. Sam pushed his brother back, yelling his name repeatedly, desperately trying to snap Dean out of his blind rage. Dean looked the taller hunter in the eyes, then looked briefly at Cas, before turning to storm off into the bunker. Sam watched him go, worried again that the Mark had changed his brother in a way that was irreparable.

\----------

Once they had gotten Dean out of the way, Cas healed Gadreel at the expense of his own well-being. Sam and Cas both listened to the angel explain everything, all the way back to when he joined Metatron while wearing Sam’s skin. Sam listened silently as Gadreel explained how Gabriel came to him, helped him to see that what Metatron was doing was truly abhorrent.

_“Gabriel spoke highly of you,” Gadreel said to the hunter. “He said that you were the one I needed to convince to give me a chance. He expressed hope that you would be the one able to overlook the mistakes of my past and allow me to help bring down Metatron.”_

Now Sam was in the woods a little way from the bunker, pacing and thinking. It was possible that this was all part of Metatron’s scheme. As much as Sam wanted to believe Gadreel, he was struggling to trust the angel that had taken over his body without his knowledge. And Sam _really_ wanted to believe his story. The hunter ran a hand through his hair and sighed exasperatedly. It could so easily be a complete lie. Hell, they didn’t even know if Gabriel was even alive. They suspected, and Sam hoped, but aside from a few suspicious occurrences, they had no concrete proof.

Which is why Sam was standing in the woods alone. Gadreel said the Trickster mentioned Sam specifically. The hunter was hoping that meant Gabriel would answer him. He took a deep breath to calm his nerves.

“Gabriel, I have no idea if you’re listening, if you can even hear this,” Sam prayed aloud. “But if you are, I really need to talk to you. Gadreel is here, and he wants us to trust him. He says you told him that I would trust him. I’m not sure why you would say that, so maybe he’s making it all up. Look, I know you probably still hate us for the apocalypse, for forcing you to stand up to Lucifer, and I don’t blame you. But I was hoping you could put that aside? Because we could really use your help right now. I could really use your help right now….”

“You’re lucky Metatron didn’t hear that, Samsquatch,” Gabriel said exasperatedly.

Sam turned sharply and stared wide-eyed for a moment. It was one thing for him to imagine Gabriel was alive, it was another to see the Trickster standing there in the flesh. Gabriel looked almost the same as Sam remembered, same glint in honey-brown eyes. But the Archangel looked more somber than he did all those years ago. He pressed down the urge to run towards Gabriel, to grab the shorter man by the jacket and kiss the daylights out of him. Sam clenched his fists at his sides in an effort of restraint, reminding himself that Gabriel probably hated his guts. Then he processed what the angel had said.

“I prayed directly to you, I thought,” Sam said confusedly.

“He’s got enough juice now to tap into most of angel radio, even the private channels,” Gabriel stated flatly.

“Can he get to yours?” Sam was reeling. Now they couldn’t even trust prayers to be private? His resolve to defeat Metatron grew even stronger.

“Metatron might think he can be God, but I’ve been around a lot longer than he has. I’ve learned a lot more tricks,” he said with a wink. “Don’t worry, my channel should still be private. Though if I’m going to help you knuckleheads, you might wanna start praying to Loki just in case.”

“Help us?” Sam’s eyes scrunched up. He hadn’t even expected Gabriel to answer his prayer, and now he wanted to help? Sam’s heart began to swell as he tried to shove the thoughts away before he could get his hopes up.

 “Hey, Sam,” Gabriel looked around nervously. “Can we not do this conversation out in the open like this? You never know where that arrogant douche has people listening.”

“Um, yeah, sure,” Sam said hurriedly. “Bunker entrance is this way.” He turned to start heading back in that direction.

“Actually,” Gabriel said with a smirk, “I’ve got a different place in mind.”

Before Sam could protest, Gabriel snapped.

 ----------

Sam found himself standing in a spacious living room. There was a large, extremely comfy looking couch, as well as another chair and a coffee table. The couch was facing a wall where a huge tv was mounted above a stone fireplace. Next to this were shelves full of entertainment equipment. The furniture was decorated in rich browns and muted greens, giving the whole room a cozy lodge feel. Sam turned to see what looked to be a state-of-the-art kitchen, as well as a hallway that most likely led to a bedroom.

“Where is this place?” Sam looked out the floor-to-ceiling windows that took up one wall of the living room, amazed by the view of the mountains in the distance.

“Utah,” Gabriel replied, shrugging out of his jacket and throwing it on a nearby chair. “I have safe houses all over the world, in case anyone caught on to the Trickster alias I was using. Nobody can find us here. Not even that dickbag Metatron.”

Gabriel walked into the kitchen and grabbed two beers out of the fridge, offering one to Sam. The hunter muttered thanks and took a sip of the beer- the label showed it was his favorite, though he had no idea how the Archangel could have possibly known what his favorite beer was. Sam continued to stare out the window, trying to figure out what to say. It wasn’t often he was at a loss for words, but honestly, what do you say when the Archangel who stars in your fantasies recently came back from the dead and whisked you off to Utah?

“I thought this would be a good place for us to talk,” Gabriel looked down, trying to pick his words carefully. “If this doesn’t work, just say the word and I’ll take you back. I did mess with time flow a bit here, so if you choose to stay, you’ll still go back around the same time you left.”

Gabriel needed to make sure Sam knew he had a clear way out of this. He could see how tense Sam was when he answered the prayer. The Trickster sighed softly. It was clear to him that Sam was still angry about all that Gabriel had done to him in the past. He knew he had no right, but he wanted this chance to try to earn Sam’s forgiveness. He knew he would never have what he truly wanted, but he could settle for a chance at redemption.

Gabriel looked up to see Sam smiling softly at him. “I like it. As long as I don’t lose time out there, I think I could use a little break from reality, ya know?”

The smile that spread across the Archangel’s face made Sam’s heart skip a beat.

“So,” Sam tried to lighten the mood, “You got any food in this place.”

It turned out that not only was the kitchen fully stocked, but Gabriel was an excellent cook. The Trickster happily set to work making risotto while Sam helped with the salad. The two men chatted while preparing the meal, Sam filling Gabriel in on the time he’d missed when he was dead, and caught him up on the demon side of their battles this year. The Archangel stayed suspiciously quiet when Sam mentioned the Mark of Cain, but Sam didn’t push it, and chose instead to change the subject.

After dinner, Gabriel snapped the dishes clean, and they sat down on the couch. They put an action movie on, then proceeded to ignore it as they kept talking. Gabriel told Sam some of his funnier jobs as a Trickster, while Sam told him about some of the crazier things that had happened on hunts. When he told the story of how he had been body swapped with a teenager, Gabriel doubled over in laughter. Sam laughed with him, loving how free Gabriel seemed. In that moment, he didn’t seem like an Archangel of the Lord, or a supernatural being. At that instant, he seemed only like a man, happy and content. Sam found himself wanting nothing more than to lean over and kiss the other. The hunter stopped when Gabriel froze suddenly, realizing he had already leaned halfway over. Sam stood abruptly, walking over to the window once more to stare out into the black night.

“You ok, kiddo?” Gabriel walked up next to Sam by the window. The Archangel appeared oblivious to the buzzing current running through Sam, the compulsion that made him want to shove the smaller man against the window and make him fall apart. He ran a shaky hand through his hair.

“Yeah, I’m fine. I’m just, ya know, overwhelmed by stuff I guess.”

Unknown to Sam, Gabriel was fighting his own impulses. Throughout the evening, he felt pulled toward the hunter like a magnet. He’d been shocked by Sam’s demeanor. The hunter had seemed so relaxed, like he didn’t hate the Trickster. Gabriel knew the risks, but he knew he was losing the battle with his self-control.

Gabriel grabbed the hunter’s neck and pulled him down into a kiss. He reveled in the feel of Sam’s lips against his own. Since he knew it wouldn’t take long for Sam to shove him away in disgust, he tried desperately to memorize the feel of those lips, soft yet firm. Then suddenly the hunter was kissing back, moving closer to wrap one arm around the angel while the other hand grasped his hip.

Sam gave himself over to the sensations, biting playfully on Gabriel’s bottom lip before licking his way into the shorter man’s mouth. The Archangel moaned softly when their tongues met, and Sam tightened his arms around him, pulling the other impossibly closer. Gabriel moaned again as Sam continued to explore every inch of the angel’s mouth.

Sam reluctantly broke the kiss when the need to breathe became too overwhelming. He opened his eyes as Gabriel released his hold on his neck. Holy shit, Gabriel had just kissed him! There was chaos in the hunter’s mind as he tried to analyze what had happened, when he noticed the war of emotions on Gabriel’s face, a mix of shock and something Sam thought might be sadness. Gabriel blinked, and the look was replaced with a guarded expression. He stepped back, out of the hunter’s embrace, and cleared his throat.

“You should probably be getting back,” Gabriel said in a rush. “They’ll be needing you.”

“Gabriel, wait-“ Before Sam could tell the Trickster to stop, he found himself back in the woods outside the bunker. Alone.


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so this chapter is longer than I originally intended, but my mind took off like a racehorse and I couldn't stop the words from coming.
> 
> That being said, I had tremendous fun writing this chapter, and I hope you all like it as much as I do.
> 
> Until next week, enjoy :)

Gadreel left to go back to Metatron, with a promise to contact them as he could with any updates. Cas was off trying to rally what few supporters he could find, ones who had already been witness to Metatron’s cruelty. This left the Winchesters stuck in the bunker with nothing to do but wait.

It didn’t take long before both men were going stir crazy.

“I say we go after him now,” Dean grumbled as he paced in the library. He was a lot of things, but patient had never been one of them.

“Metatron’s not leaving heaven,” Sam rolled his eyes. They’d been having the same argument several times in the last two days. The older hunter wasn’t satisfied with being part of a plan or a team; he wanted to take things into his own hands again.

“Then let’s round up one winged dick at a time until they cough up the location of the damned stairway.” Sam looked to see Dean’s hand twitch. The younger hunter frowned. It seemed the bloodlust, the visceral need to hold the First Blade and gut something with it, was growing stronger and more quickly than it had even a few weeks ago.

“That’s stupid and you know it. Gabriel’s plan actually has a shot in hell at working.” Sam closed the book he’d been researching with. He couldn’t focus on it anyway.

“That’s the other thing: why are we listening to a plan that _Gabriel_ came up with?” Dean hadn’t been subtle about the fact that he still despised Gabriel. “It’s ridiculous! I say we track Metatron down ourselves instead waiting to see how the Trickster screws us over this time.”

“He sacrificed his life for us Dean. And his plan is a good one. So, stop complaining.” Sam was sick of his brother bashing on Gabriel. “Or at least do it somewhere else.”

Dean grumbled and walked off, grabbing the bottle of whiskey off the table.

Sam was generally unperturbed by Dean’s rants, but even his patience was wearing thin. He was ok with waiting for the right time to move forward with Gabriel’s plan. What he wasn’t ok with, however, was Gabriel kissing him, sending him back to Kansas, and then not contacting him at all for the last two weeks. The hunter put his head in his hands and groaned. He hated that he had become this obsessed. Sure, he’d never been as forward as Dean, but once he knew a girl was interested, he didn’t hesitate. Even the couple guys he’d dated in college, he’d never obsessed like this. He couldn’t understand how one kiss could make him so lovesick.

Sam walked towards the kitchen to make himself a sandwich, when he remembered that they had run out of bread yesterday. The hunter seized the opportunity to get out of the bunker for a while as he grabbed the keys to the Impala.

**********

Sam decided to take the long way to get to a store. Turns out, it was a very long way. The hunter was enjoying the time alone so much, he found himself driving along various back roads to stall as much as possible.

“Whatcha doing way out here, Sam-I-am?” Gabriel popped into the passenger seat with no warning. Sam jumped, causing the car to swerve. Luckily, nobody was out on these roads.

“I needed a break from Dean,” Sam answered, trying to remain focused on driving. “I love my brother, but I also miss being out on my own.”

“Well, try being alone for a few millennia. Kinda sucks,” Gabe stated.

“You could always come hang out with us,” Sam mentioned nonchalantly.

“Yeah, no thanks bucko,” Gabriel scoffed. Then he saw Sam’s face fall ever so slightly. He sighed.

“Look, I got no problems hanging out with you, but I ain’t going anywhere near your psychotic brother and that bloody freaking dagger of his.”

“That could really kill you?” Sam questioned.

“That could kill anything,” the Archangel reported. “And aside from Dad, and my own blade, the First Blade is the only weapon left in existence that _can_ kill me. Given your dickbag brother’s past attitude towards me, I’m not taking any chances.”

Sam paused to consider this. If Dean’s behavior these past couple weeks were any indication, it was probably a good thing that Gabriel had kept his distance. But Sam greatly wanted to spend time with the Archangel. He had racked his brain trying to figure out why Gabriel had kissed him, why he’d sent him away afterwards. It was infuriating to deal with the constant stream of overanalyzing and worrying inside Sam’s mind. His hands clenched on the steering wheel before he forced them to relax. He pulled the Impala over to the side of the road and put it in park. Gabriel glanced at him worriedly.

“Do you think,” Sam mentioned offhandedly, “we could go to one of your safe houses for a bit? I’m going stir crazy in there and Dean’s not exactly helping.”

Gabriel looked over at the hunter, careful to keep his face expressionless. He wasn’t sure what he’d expected to happen when he dropped in on the hunter. He imagined it would involve yelling, telling him off, and generally confirming the fact that Gabriel had no business wanting the younger Winchester. Sam asking to spend _more_ time with the Trickster was not what he was expecting at all.

“Sure thing, kid,” Gabriel smiled.

Snap.

**********

Sam inspected his surroundings. They were in a different place; this one appeared to be a penthouse. There were several more pieces of furniture in this living room, all of them various shades of black or grey. It contrasted starkly with the bold red colored side tables and the clean white bar in the corner of the room. Just like the place in Utah, this room also had a wall comprised of floor to ceiling windows. He glanced out the wall of windows.

“New York?” Sam guessed, looking back towards Gabriel.

“Yeah,” Gabriel shrugged as he moved to stand next to Sam. “The city that never sleeps. I like it here. Used to find a lot of work here too.”

Sam skipped over that last comment. He wasn’t a fan of Gabriel’s form of “just desserts.” He remembered all too well what it was like to be on the receiving end of some of the Trickster’s lessons. He opened his mouth to speak but was interrupted.

“Time’s not frozen here. Doesn’t really work as well in cities as busy as this one,” Gabriel turned to look up at him. “Same rule though: one word, I’ll drop you back.”

“That’s fine,” Sam said. He shrugged out of his jacket and plopped down on one of the couches, which was immensely more comfortable than it looked. He put his feet up on the red coffee table, making it clear that he intended to stay.

As Sam grabbed the remote and turned on the flat-screen, Gabriel moved to sit down on the other end of the couch. Though he seemed more relaxed than he’d been in the car, the Trickster was clearly still tense. He ignored him as he continued to scroll through channels.

“Impractical Jokers, seriously?” Gabriel scoffed.

“What?” Sam chuckled. “They’re like human tricksters. I thought you’d love it.”

“They don’t have anywhere near the creativity necessary to be tricksters.”

The longer they were sitting on that couch, the more comfortable Gabriel began to feel. If Sam hadn’t gone off on him yet, he probably wouldn’t. The Archangel fought to stop the flutter of hope he felt at the idea that maybe Sam truly wasn’t mad at all.

And so they sat, Sam laughing as Gabriel ranted about how ‘juvenile’ and ‘completely, stereotypically unoriginal’ the jokes were. Eventually they developed a comfortable silence as they the tv droned on softly in the background.

Sam was the one to break that silence.

“What happened at Elysian Fields?”

The smile that Gabriel had been wearing faded instantly. Sam knew, of course, that when the Archangel had gone up against Lucifer that night so Sam could escape, he hadn’t expected to survive. They’d never discussed it though. In fact, they both had actively avoided talking about the details of that day. Gabriel wished it could stay that way, but now Sam had breached the subject, and the shorter man knew there was no avoiding it any longer.

“I mourned you,” Sam hung his head as he remembered that horrible day. “We saw a flash as we were driving away. I thought you’d died.”

“I did die,” Gabriel said softly. “Luci stabbed me. With my own blade. Dad didn’t bring me back for almost two years.”

There was a pause as Sam saw the sorrow cross the other man’s face. He guessed that Gabriel had been close to Lucifer at one point, before he fell. He couldn’t imagine how much it would hurt to know your own brother had killed you.

“When did Metatron capture you?” Sam asked, deciding to change the subject a little.

“Not until the Fall. He must have been tracking me somehow. As soon as the chaos started, he snatched me,” Gabriel grumbled. He was still mad that the Scribe had gotten the jump on him, even more mad that the bastard had been able to keep him against his will all those months.

Sam contemplated this for a moment, choosing his next question carefully. “So if you were alive all this time, how come you waited until now to find us?”

“Well, I was under the impression you hated me, Sam,” the Archangel stated like it was obvious. “I’m not sure why you’re wanting to talk to me even now.”

Sam looked at the Archangel like he was an idiot. “If this is about Mystery Spot, I forgave you for that years ago.”

“How?” Gabriel seemed genuinely surprised by that.

“I got it. The way you did it, well that really sucked, and it took me awhile to get over it. But then Dean went to Hell, and it made sense what you were trying to do.” Sam stared at nothing in particular. He knew the real reason why he could never hate the Trickster.

“Well, um thanks,” Gabriel muttered, frowning a little as he processed what he’d just learned. He felt that flutter of hope begin to beat a little stronger inside him.

“Yeah, I just accepted that you have a crappy way of showing that you care,” Sam said with a smirk. “Like putting me on that awful Japanese game show.”

Gabe smiled gleefully. “Or turning you into a car. Ha! Sampala was great, you’d never looked so good.”

“Or making me listen to Asia every morning for an eternity.” Sam still couldn’t listen to that song, but he loved that the memory made Gabriel laugh.

“Or putting you in an STD commercial!” The Trickster was not even trying to hide his amusement as he remembered how much fun it had been to mess with the Winchesters.

“Or when you kissed me and then disappeared for two weeks?”

Gabriel’s laughter died. He looked over to see that Sam was still smirking, but there was a glint of something else in his eyes. Gabriel swallowed and stayed silent.

“Because, you see,” Sam said smugly, “I couldn’t figure it out at first. Why you ran away. Then I realized, that wasn’t it at all.”

Gabriel’s cognac eyes grew wide as the hunter leaned across the couch until their faces were only inches apart.

“Have you finally figured it out, Gabriel?” Sam whispered. “Have you realized yet that I’m not running from this?”

Then the hunter kissed him. As soon as their lips touched, Gabriel’s mind went blank as his heart started beating wildly. His lips parted slightly as the hunter moved quickly to grab his neck and begin biting playfully on his bottom lip. The Trickster moved to straddle the other man’s lap, weaving his fingers into long hair as he deepened the kiss.

Sam gasped when a tug of his hair forced his head to fall back. The Archangel wasted no time in attacking that long neck, biting and kissing his way to Sam’s collarbone. The hunter slid his hands beneath Gabriel’s shirt to claw at his back as the Trickster began smoothing his tongue over a new bite at the base of Sam’s neck.

“Bedroom,” Sam growled in his ear. “Now.”

Almost immediately, Sam was being dragged to his feet and pushed down a hallway. The electricity buzzing through the hunter was fanned into burning flames as desire washed over him. He turned to slam the shorter man into the wall, and began grinding his hips against the other’s. The soft moan that slipped out of Gabriel made Sam’s quickly hardening cock twitch as he moved to attack the other man’s neck.

Gabriel leaned his head back against the wall as Sam proceeded to leave a mark on his neck. He rolled his hips, moaning louder as they began to rut against each other. He slid his hands beneath the hunter’s shirt, pushing it up.

“Off,” he demanded. Sam let go just enough for Gabriel to push the shirt over his head. He then quickly shed the Archangel of his shirt before pressing him back against the wall, bare chests touching.

The Archangel then used his supernatural strength to overpower the hunter, pushing them away from the wall and further down the hallway. Sam suddenly found himself being pushed back onto a king size bed. He didn’t have time to observe the room around him before the Trickster was on top of him, straddling him and kissing him until the hunter couldn’t form coherent thoughts.

“God, you’re gorgeous,” Gabriel murmured as he began working down the hunter’s chest, leaving a trail of open mouth kisses on the tan, muscular skin. He took the right nipple into his mouth and bit gently, causing the taller man to arch off the bed with a gasp. He laved over it with his tongue before moving to do the same to the other side.

“Gabe,” Sam whined as the Trickster continued to move down his body. “Can’t wait…. want you….”

“Patience, kiddo,” Gabriel said, voice deep with need. He yelped as he was yanked upwards by his arm. The taller man then quickly rolled over until he was on top of the other.

“No. I’m done being patient,” Sam growled as ground his hips down.

He reached between them, fumbling as he tried to the snap of Gabriel’s jeans. There was a snap, and both their clothes disappeared. Sam rolled his hips, causing both men to groan loudly as their cocks touched each other.

Gabriel rolled them over until he was on top again and invaded the hunter’s mouth. He nudged Sam’s legs farther apart as he snapped a bottle of lube into existence. Sam watched with heavy-lidded eyes as the Tricksters poured some lube on his fingers and reached one hand down to tease at Sam’s hole. He inserted the tip of his index finger into Sam, watching the taller man’s head fall back as he relaxed, allowing Gabriel to slip his finger all the way in and start pumping it in and out.

Sam moaned at the pleasure pain as Gabriel worked him open. It had been awhile since he’d fooled around with a guy, but this felt better than anything he’d known before. It wasn’t just some random guy working him open. This was Gabriel, Archangel of the Lord. When Sam looked up to see Gabriel staring back at him with lust-blown eyes, three fingers now working comfortably inside him, he nearly came undone.

Gabriel pulled his fingers out, cock twitching at the whine Sam gave at the loss. He quickly used some lube on his rock-hard dick, lined up against Sam’s hole, and started pushing in steadily. The moan that came out of the hunter was downright filthy.

The Trickster leaned his head against Sam’s chest as he breathed deeply, shaking with the effort to be gentle, to not hurt the hunter.

“Gabe,” Sam gasped, spreading his legs wider and relishing the slight burn as the large cock split him open.

“Jesus, kid, you feel incredible,” Gabe moaned, finally sinking all the way into the hunter. He stopped to allow Sam to get used to feeling.

“Fucking move,” Sam growled, rolling his hips.

The Archangel started off at a steady pace, pulling almost all the way out before snapping his hips and driving back into the hunter beneath him. Then he hit a bundle of nerves just right, and Sam howled. At that beautiful sound, Gabe let go, pounding into the taller man as large hands dug into his back. Both men moaned and cried each other’s names as the sensations overwhelmed them.

“Gabe,” Sam panted, “So close…. gonna come…”

Gabriel leaned down to kiss him fiercely. “Come for me, baby,” he whispered.

The hunter moaned loudly as he came, cock untouched. Gabriel took in the beautiful sight beneath him, and after a couple more thrusts he followed, Sam’s name on his lips as he filled the hunter. He collapsed on top of him. They laid there for a minute, trying to catch their breath, before Gabriel noticed the stickiness of in between them, and snapped the mess away.

Sam leaned down to place a kiss on the shorter man’s head. “That was amazing.”

Gabriel rolled off the hunter onto his side.

“Not sure what else you were expecting. It is me we’re talking about,” he said with a smirk. Sam shot him a bitchface before grabbing a pillow and hitting him over the head with it.

Gabriel laughed before leaning in to kiss the hunter. They stayed that way, lazily making out for a while, until the heaviness of sleep began to settle on Sam like a blanket.

“Get some sleep, kiddo,” Gabriel whispered.

Sam curled into the other man’s side, resting his head on Gabriel’s chest. The Archangel absentmindedly stroked one hand through the hunter’s mane of hair, happier than he’d remembered being in centuries.


	5. Chapter 5

Sam was standing guard when he saw the flash of light. Immediately his feet were carrying him into the warehouse before he realized he was moving. He heard his heart pounding in his ears as he rushed to find the source of the light. He stumbled around the corner, stolen angel blade at the ready as he searched frantically for where the fighting was. How could he have let Gabriel convince him that this was a good plan?

_The two hunters and three angels are in the bunker’s library. Although all the men are filled with determination to stop Metatron, they also look nervous at the stunt they are planning to attempt. Sam glances briefly at each of the men before him, before settling on Gabriel. His stomach twists into an extra knot. If this worked, if they all survived, would Gabriel choose to stay? Or would he disappear from Sam’s life once more, leaving behind nothing more than a memory?_

_“Right,” Gabriel begins, “So now that Metatron is on Earth, Gadreel can ‘capture’ Cassie here, and they sneak into Heaven to find and destroy the angel tablet.”_

_“Yeah, cuz that’s just gonna be a piece of cake,” Dean’s hand twitches forcefully as he once more scoffs at the Trickster’s idea. He receives multiple glares and bitchfaces until he backs down, motioning for Gabriel to continue._

_“The Winchesters and I will take on Metatron down here,” Gabriel continues. “He’s egotistical enough that it shouldn’t be too hard to get him alone to brag. You two will stand guard while I try to talk him down.”_

_“We’ve got angel blades,” Sam counters. “Why would we stand guard instead of being backup?”_

_“Angel blades won’t do much to him at this point, but my Archangel blade should at least weaken him.”_

_Sam crosses his arms, clearly showing his dislike for this detail of the plan. He and his brother were used to putting themselves in the line of fire. Sam can’t stand being shuffled off to the side like some damsel that needs protecting. He squares his shoulders as honey brown eyes meet his hazel ones. Gabriel’s face softens slightly as he realizes what the hunter must be thinking._

_“He can’t kill me,” Gabriel explains, “Or he already would’ve. But he could kill you without a second thought. Until the angel tablet is destroyed, it’s too risky.”_

Sam realized as he rushed through the warehouse that he no longer cared about the risk. Flashes of light could only mean a few things: at the very least, one of the angels was hurt. Sam rushed faster to reach the fight.

The hunter stopped dead in his tracks as he saw Metatron drive his blade into Gabriel, the Archangel crying out in pain.

“Gabe!” Sam roared, rushing towards the pair. He wasn’t entirely sure what his plan was, he just needed to protect Gabriel. It was hunter protection instincts mixed with that reckless abandon Sam only felt for those he considered family. He prayed that Gadreel and Cas would get to that tablet in time.

Metatron gave a knowing smile as he stepped back from Gabriel. Suddenly the Trickster was encircled by holy fire, effectively trapped in one spot. Sam quickly glanced at the Archangel. Gabriel was fairly beat up. His jacket was torn at the shoulder; he had dirt and small tears on his jeans and shirt. He was gripping his side to prevent the leak of grace that comes from being cut with an angel blade.  Sam turned his attention back to Metatron as the angel started walking towards him.

“It’s always something, isn’t it?” Metatron asked. “No matter how well you try to write the story, the characters begin to take on a life of their own. I can’t say I’m surprised Gabriel here decided to orchestrate an attack on me. For being a so-called Trickster, he is entirely predictable.”

Sam turned with Metatron, making sure to never give the angel his back. He just had to wait until Gadreel destroyed the angel tablet. He glanced over at Gabriel, who seemed to be vibrating with fury at being trapped again.

“No,” Metatron continued. “The surprise is really you, Samuel. I’ve read the Winchester gospels. I don’t quite understand though: this angel tortured you. I know you have a penchant for pathetically poor mating choices, but come on! You picked the most damaged angel in existence, aside from possibly little Castiel.”

Metatron laughed mockingly as Sam’s grip on the angel blade tightened. Sam lunged. Before he could even come close to contact, however, Metatron waved his hand. The tall hunter went flying across the space, crashing against a pole and falling to the ground.

“Sammy, no,” Dean roared. Sam hadn’t noticed his brother enter the warehouse, but there he was. And he was charging Metatron, the First Blade in his hand fueling his reckless, battle-hungry behavior.

As Dean approached, Metatron rolled his eyes. Suddenly, Dean was held in one place, the arm with the blade outstretched to one side. Metatron strolled over towards Dean, smile gone but still acting like he had all the time in the world. Sam pushed up with his arms, tried to get on his feet before collapsing again. Being thrown across the room had clearly broken several bones. He was helpless as he watched the worst angel he’d known walk up to his brother.

Metatron didn’t say a word. The angel simply plunged his blade deep into Dean’s gut, the hunter crying out in rage and pain. Metatron twisted the blade to ensure more pain, before throwing Dean back against a wall. The hunter slouched, nearly unconscious and clearly in very critical condition.

**********

Gabriel watched the whole scene in silence, fury burning in him as he stood inside the holy fire, unable to help the Winchesters. He noticed Dean out of his peripheral vision; his focus was almost entirely on Sam. The hunter kept trying to get up, to defend himself against the psychopath, but he was in pretty bad shape. Gabriel’s breath hitched as he saw Metatron start walking towards Sam, holding out his angel blade that was still dripping with Dean’s blood. Gabriel tried fruitlessly to use his pagan gifts to break free of the circle. Apparently, there was more angel left in him than he’d thought.

The Archangel then saw hazel eyes looking straight at him, filled with emotion as the hunter acknowledged the hopelessness of their situation. As Gabriel stared into those expressive eyes, he felt a small shift, a shiver through the air. He’d almost missed it, but he immediately knew what it was. As Metatron raised his angel blade, Gabriel snapped, and the holy fire trapping him disappeared.

**********

Sam looked up at Metatron, whose angel blade was raised. If he was going to die, he was going to make his murderer watch the life leave him. No matter how heartless the Scribe seemed, Sam knew that last look was one that never truly left you.

Just as the blade began to lower towards Sam, the hunter saw a bright light come from the center of the angel’s chest. When the light spread to shine in Metatron’s eyes, Sam turned his head, trying to shield his face from the burst of grace that comes from an angel’s death. Just as his head hit his arms, he blacked out.

**********

Gabriel turned Metatron away from Sam, his Archangel blade still lodged in the other man’s back. The angel’s mouth opened in a silent scream as white grace poured out of the wound and face. Gabriel removed his blade, quickly stashing it away. He turned towards Sam, analyzing quickly that there was not enough time to get the hunter a safe distance away from Metatron. As the angel began to explode with his death, Gabriel spread his wings and practically fell on top of the hunter beneath him. The Archangel closed his eyes and centered himself in his Grace, reaching out towards where he felt Sam’s soul. He surrounded his hunter, praying that his soul would not be shattered by being this close to the explosion.

**********

Sam spread the supplies over the dungeon floor when he heard Gabriel come in behind him.

“Dean’s gone, Sam,” Gabriel said guardedly.

“No,” Sam refuted. “We’ve come back from death plenty of times, this one will be no different.”

Gabriel rubbed his jaw as he chose his next words. The Archangel knew the true nature of the Blade, and what had happened to Dean. For once, though, he couldn’t stand the thought of being bluntly honest.

“I didn’t say dead,” he clarified. “I said gone. As in left the building. Or bunker, as it were.”

Sam turned to glare at the shorter man. Gabriel took a slight step back at the chaos he saw in those hazel eyes. He’d hoped, foolishly, that Sam had worked on his overwhelming big brother codependency issues. Clearly, the man was still driven to the brink of sanity at the idea of losing Dean.

“What do you mean,” Sam’s low, carefully calm voice showed just how close to losing it he truly was. “What did you do with my brother?”

“Whoa, there,” Gabriel put his hands up in a placating manner. “I didn’t do a thing to him. This is all Cain’s fault.”

Sam’s head tilted to the side in confusion. “Cain?”

“Come on, Sam,” Gabriel chided. “You know the First Blade was changing him. It protected him after the battle. Coming that close to death, it changed things. The Blade claimed Dean completely.”

Gabriel paused before saying the words he knew Sam didn’t want to hear.

“He left. He chose to leave.”

Gabriel waited for the words to sink in, for the inevitable acceptance that would break the hunter’s heart. The soft spot he had for the tall hunter before him had only grown in the last few weeks, and now he swore he could almost feel the hurt and loss coursing through Sam. And then he could feel it, the echo of Sam’s emotions pounding through his heart like a tiny hurricane. Gabriel stilled as he tried to work through the storm in his head that wasn’t truly his. At the same time, he felt the walls of denial come slamming down inside the hunter. Gabriel looked up in shock, seeing the refusal form clearly on the taller man’s face.

“No,” Sam said resolutely. “Dean would never leave me. Crowley is behind this, and I’m going to stop him. I will get my brother back.”

Sam felt the maelstrom in his mind begin to clear into a single-minded focus set on saving his brother. He recognized the determined rage inside him, it was a familiar companion from his time in Broward County. He glared at Gabriel, daring the man to attempt to talk him out of it. The Archangel was slowly backing away, hands still held up, honey brown eyes widening with every step. Sam saw that the other man would be no help to his mission. He turned back to the ritual supplies on the floor of the dungeon.

Through his focus, Sam barely heard the whisper.

“I can’t do this.”

A flutter of wings told the hunter he was truly on his own. He showed no reaction as he continued to busy himself with his summoning ritual.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know this chapter is a little late. I was apartment hunting, and the muses were not in my favor. Next week I should be back to posting on Sundays :)
> 
> This fic has clearly diverted from canon. I know that's listed in the tags, but it's gone further than I originally expected it to. I tried to keep some things the same, but couldn't resist the chance to actually kill Metatron! 
> 
> Hope you all like it. Please leave comments telling me what you like/don't like. Your opinions mean a lot to me!


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